Friday, February 26, 2010

BC Rail Unabridged

I wrote an article for the National Post yesterday, which was published in the print edition. I also wrote a blog entry built around the main points of that article, but was waiting for the original to be published first. For obvious reasons, most of the following could not be printed in the newspaper, since parts were based largely on uncorroborated speculation. In reference to my comments about Jessica McDonald, I imply no wrong-doing on her part, nor do I wish to cast aspersions on her. I’m merely reporting the scuttlebutt of the case.

Read Adrian MacNair's blog HERE. More than six years after the RCMP executed an unprecedented search and seizure on the B.C. Legislature in Victoria, the Basi-Virk trial is finally scheduled to get underway on May 3, 2010.

Two of the accused, Dave Basi and Bob Virk, are charged with fraud, breach of trust and corruption, and Aneal Basi is charged with money laundering. The trial has been set by jury, and is expected to take five weeks.

The crown will be trying to prove that Dave Basi and Bob Virk accepted bribes from lobbyists in exchange for leaking information about the bidding process for BC Rail. Notably, one of those lobbyists, Patrick Kinsella, has been alleged to have been working “both sides” of the BC Rail sale.

Court documents show that Mr.Kinsella was being paid by Canadian National Railway as a political advisor at the same time he was being paid $6,000 a month to lobby for the BC government. Mr.Kinsella wrote the B.C. Liberal party platforms for the 2001 and 2005 elections.

The sale of BC Rail went through in 2004 to CN Rail for $1 billion, with the government retaining the rail right-of-way.
The lease to CN Rail was based on a 990 year agreement, beginning with a 60-year initial lease and then an option to renew every 30 years. Since the sale went through, Canadian National Railway has contributed more than $152,750.00 to the B.C. Liberal party.

But BC Rail still owns the strategic port of Roberts Bank and the 40km of track that connects to it. It also owns 2,509 pieces of property in towns and villages, including prime real estate waterfront in North Vancouver. BC Rail’s real estate portfolio is impressive, with the government boasting it has generated revenue of over $1 billion since the BC Liberal Party took over in 2001, although it hasn’t explained how.

The Roberts Bank port facility was originally slated to be sold off separately, but irregularities were discovered during the main BC Rail line sale when David Basi was accused of accepting a bribe from a lobbyist for OmniTRAX. Canadian Pacific is also said to have withdrawn their bid when they learned that CN had insider information into the government sale.

The government continues to control and operate this 40km of track, but won’t discuss any details of the case since the matter has been “before the courts” in perpetuity since the December 28, 2003 raids.

At the time of the raids, Dave Basi was a senior political aide to Finance Minister Gary Farrell-Collins, and Bob Virk a senior aide to the Transportation Minister, Judith Reid.

The raids arose when the RCMP uncovered the involvement of BC Liberal insiders during an ongoing drug sting. In 2003 the RCMP were tapping the phones of Dave Basi in order to break up a marijuana and cocaine smuggling ring between B.C. and Ontario, run by his cousin, Jasmohan Singh Bains. It has since been alleged that the drug money from that operation was laundered through the BC Liberal Party.

In November of 2009, the media got wind that although BC Rail was left with just 40km of track and 30 employees, that there was a swell of executives all earning six figure salaries to preside over the remaining crown assets.

BC Rail’s CEO, Kevin Mahoney, earned $494,182 in 2009, which exceeded even the government’s own imposed salary cap.
After the bad press about the salaries, the government announced a “review” of the company, which culminated in an announcement on February 10 that the Province would be moving the operations and management of BC Rail into the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

“By integrating BCRC’s day-to-day operations into the ministry, there will be ongoing savings and benefits from a reduction in operating costs,” Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Shirley Bond announced on the government website.

The optics could hardly be worse. The very ministry implicated in the botched and tainted BC Rail-CN Rail deal would be absorbing the remaining holdings into a ministry still very much under investigation and “before the courts” in the Basi-Virk trial.

What surprises many people about the BC Rail affair is that the Premier, Gordon Campbell, and the BC Liberal Party, have remained largely immune from the fallout of the Basi-Virk case and the suggestions of government impropriety.

The author of the website, The Legislature Raids, Mary Mackie, has been following the case for four years. She told me that one of the largest factors in containing the BC Rail scandal has been the control of information with their Public Affairs Bureau. Mitigating scandal has been a full-time job for these staffers, who have had to deal with issues like the unpopular HST, which was brought in after running the 2009 May election promising not to implement it.

The BC Rail story has a very similar background. Paul Nettleton was a BC Liberal Member of Legislative Assembly in the first Campbell government, and a former opposition critic for BC Rail during the NDP Glen Clark government.
In a phone interview, he told me that the BC Liberals campaigned in 2001 on a promise not to sell off BC Rail, after an extensive review of the viability of the railway line. He also spoke out against the privatization of BC Hydro in 2002, and was eventually kicked out of caucus by the BC Liberals and became an independent.

Gordon Campbell explained away the broken promise on BC Rail by claiming it was only a lease to CN Rail, but for many people like Paul Nettleton, it was a breach of trust, of power, and of responsibility. But still, it has not resonated with voters in the intensity that scandals like the Fast Ferries did for Glen Clark’s NDP.

“You have to realize the kind of excitement there was in the legislature at that time,” Paul Nettleton reminisces in his retelling of the last days of the NDP government, before the Liberal Party was ushered in on a 77-2 seat majority. “I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning.”

The reign of the NDP had been so traumatic to residents in the province, that the memory of it protects the current government from the same kind of scrutiny for abuse and corruption that had been focused on the Clark government. Since there was no other centre-right political party to vote for, many British Columbians have simply been looking the other way.

Meanwhile, ex-Liberal insiders continue to influence the business contracts in the Province, using their former contacts in the party to become lobbyists for their own benefit. The recent Cache Creek dump awarded an Environmental Certificate for an expansion to Belkorp Environmental Services Ltd. Ken Dobell, premier Gordon Campbell’s former deputy minister, used his influence in the government to lobby for Belkorp Industries Inc. And former Finance Minister at the time of the BC Rail sale, Gary Collins, is now the senior vice-president of the company.
Belkorp Environmental Services Ltd, has given $26,900 to the provincial Liberal party since 2005, more than half of it since 2008, according to Elections B.C.’s donation database. Its parent company, Belkorp Industries Inc., gave another $59,870 during the same time period, while Belkorp Capital Inc. gave $12,500 in 2005. That brings a total of $100,000 in donations to the Liberal Party since 2005 from Belkorp and all its subsidiaries.

With the departure of Jessica McDonald from the Head of BC’s Civil Service, some worry it might be Déjà vu all over again. Jessica McDonald became Executive Vice President for Western and International Development at HB Global Advisors Corp., the consulting arm of Heenan Blaikie Limited liability partnership in 2010 after the BC Liberal government sent her on a $12,360 course in Ontario to become a corporate director. Jessica McDonald has since founded a consultancy specializing in natural resource and land management.

Some following the BC Rail case have speculated that the most likely sale of BC Rail lands would come via a former insider with influence within the party. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.

The sale of BC Rail might, ultimately, be based on land acquisition and the sale of prime real estate. By selling the crown company BC Rail, Mary Mackie writes in her blog, the government isn’t responsible for the economic viability of the towns, villages, reserves, farms, factories, and sawmills for 1,500 km from North Vancouver to Fort Nelson. And with a rather large deficit yawning beneath the feet of the government, the quiet sale of lands to private interests could be something that would be little more than a byline in the affairs of the massive Ministry of Transportation.

It is this quiet and stealthy technique that has managed to keep the party from public scrutiny. And with the Olympic Games in town for the next several weeks, any unpopular items delivered in the Throne Speech just days before, will probably have faded from memory by the time the Legislature reconvenes.

As bad as BASIGATE is, it is likely just the tip of the iceberg in regards to the actions undertaken against this province and people over the last ten years by the Campellite Evil Empire.

Without any effective or political opposition for over five years, and the complete incorporation of local media into the political structure of the BC Liberal/Campbellite Party, democracy in BC has effectively been destroyed.

The reality for BC 2010 is that it exists as an "occupied state" similar to Chile of the 1970s & 80s under General & Presidente for Life, Augusto Pinochet or VICHY France (1940-44) under the NAZI puppet rulers Pierre Laval and Field Marshal Petain.

Even if BASIGATE goes against our beloved Premier for Life, it is questionable that the NDP under its "appeasement leader" Carole James or any of BC's media will act against the criminal activities of the Campbell Empire.

Gordon Campbell will leave office only when he wants to, not when the courts, the media or the people say . . . and his departure will be on his terms with your money in his pockets.

Ultimately all of BC is to blame since you blindly or drunkenly voted BC Liberal 3 times and twice you backed a mentally-challenged failure to be your official opposition leader.

The raids arose when the RCMP uncovered the involvement of BC Liberal insiders during an ongoing drug sting. In 2003 the RCMP were tapping the phones of Dave Basi in order to break up a marijuana and cocaine smuggling ring between B.C. and Ontario, run by his cousin, Jasmohan Singh Bains. It has since been alleged that the drug money from that operation was laundered through the BC Liberal Party.

Laundered though the BC Liberal Party

Is this new?

The only allegation of laundered monies that I can remember reading about, is this

By Bill Tieleman - April 27, 2007

McCullough said that Aneal Basi, a former government communications aide alleged to have laundered payments by Bornmann to David Basi for confidential government information on the BC Rail deal, was actually issued a T-5 income tax receipt by Bornmann but that was never sought by RCMP.

Can you Mary or your readers comment on this very disturbing and puzzling last sentence?

"The sale of BC Rail might, ultimately, be based on land acquisition and the sale of prime real estate"

Bingo!

Perhaps Mr. McNair should look into the past history of the Real Estate Developer Premier formerly the Real Estate Developer Mayor of Vancouver and before that the lackey of Marathon Realty, the real estate arm of Canadian Pacific Railway - whose mandate was to withdraw rail service from resource communities and turn LAND GRANT railway lands into shopping malls and other projects to benefit a certain crowd.

"The reign of the NDP had been so traumatic to residents in the province, that the memory of it protects the current government from the same kind of scrutiny for abuse and corruption that had been focused on the Clark government. Since there was no other centre-right political party to vote for, many British Columbians have simply been looking the other way."

Although I agree with most of the content of this rather homogenized piece on the sale of BC Rail, the statement on top is a steaming pile of BS.

Big corporate money, a bought and paid for corporate media, a completely useless NDP opposition and brain dead lazy uninformed electorate is the reason Gordo and his hoods are still in power.

The writer could also have mentioned the destruction of important emails regarding this case just before the last election when the Liberals thought there was a chance they might lose. Not to mention the Government stonewalling and the Liberals blatant rearranging of the judicial system before the Legislature raids after they were tipped off as to what was coming down.CGHZD

Also "The reign of the NDP had been so traumatic to residents in the province..." isn't the truth either, though it's a cliche in journalistic accounts of what happened, thanks to the CanWest media spin and the lapdog newspuppies of the CBC. What traumatized the residents of the province about the NDP is the constant barrage of media hype and attack-news that completely obscured record provincial growth in NDP years and books that actually weren't unbalanced though the Liberals loudly claimed they were, only to cook their own books once in office (and then some).

Mr Macnair, I know you're reading this; you did a disservice to history by repeating a media cliche as if it were fact. It was the media who traumatized and shepherded the BC public into the waiting arms of Campbellism in all its wolf-in-sheep's-clothing glory.....

Yes, the NDP were in disarray, yes, the NDP have problems with integrity and leadership, but the provincial economy was doing a lot better than the media was letting on to; and the media, along with the business establishment, were waging a campaign internationally to discourage investment in BC because of NDP governance; the world community didn't listen, investment in BC continued unabated during all those years, and slackened off once Campbell came to power.

But history in this country is written by the thieves ("victors" is too kind a word). And the thieves aren't just the politicians, but also the journalists who pander and engineer reality to advance their mutual agenda. Thieves of the truth, and sowers of lies.....

lets not forget Campbell and his cronies broght us the Olympics, and this has been a great thing, for our Nation and for our province, but more for us as Canadians. It has brought us together and given us some pride. So while it is easy to critise, I cannot imagine anyone will walk away from these games not feeling some pride for what was accomplished here. IN that regar,d Campbell and his cronies deserve some praise.

Campbell and his cronies DID NOT bring the Owelimpics to BC - that process was put into play before Gordo stole the BC Liberal Party and then lied his way to election and re-election.

The Campbell Crime Family DID decide how to execute the OweLimpics and decided who would profit and who wouldn't. Thanks to CampBULL and crew the OweLimpics have driven policy more than such issues as health care, education or sane long term transportation policies!

As result rapid transit for the tri-cities and other growing and important areas have been sacrificed in order to spend untold millions taking 20 minutes off the time it takes a BMW to get to the Rich People Playground. Funding for sports for BC youth has been cut to pay for fancy elite class venues and schools and hospitals have been closed and surgeries cancelled in order to pay for policing and bail-outs for Wall Street hedge funds holding Olympic infrastructure hostage.

I'm glad you like the Olympics. I hope you enjoy paying for them for the next 20-40 years. We have been able to have an Olympics while the homeless, the children in poverty, addictions, BC children's sports, court services, "elective_ - but necessary sevices, BC Salmon, BC forest workers, structural deficits to public school districts, BC forests and parks, and environmental issues have gone ignorred or exascerbated. Yep, you gotta hand it to the Liberals; they know haow to party.

Just imagine if we still owned the railway; with the earnings it generated, it could have helped us pay down the cost of the new roof being built for BC Place stadium, the half-billion dollars over budget convention centre, the 2/3 of billion dollar Sea to Sky highway upgrade for rich folks to get to Whistler (instead of improving a wiser, more-affordable, and more environmentally-friendly passenger rail service on the existing tracks). The list is nearly endless. Campbell's BC Liberal government is selling this province that you love so much right out from under your feet while the big party goes on.

Afterwards, we will be able to say, "Yeah, that was a helluva party, man! Too bad we are homeless and even more broke! Ouch, what a fricken' hangover."

If those were Paul Nettleton's thoughts you'd have put them in quotation marks.

Either you were trying to create a particular impression then (with your original statement - it's a separate para. after all) or you're trying hard to transfer the responsibility for a demonstrably silly and largely irrelevant statement - which Skookum1 was very wise to call you on - or you're guilty of what I'd call pretty sloppy journalism.

It has been nearly 10 years since the BC Liberal government came to power and the economic measures comparing the two regimes (NDP vs BCLiberal) are quite clear. In fact, the NDP years were, by almost every economic and social measure, absolutely superior to the misery of the Campbell years - and we have the deficits to prove it.

Whatever one might have said about the Harcourt/Clark/Dosanjh years in 2001 (and, I suspect that was what Mr Nettleton was implying if you've reported him accurately), the second part of your statement is, I suspect, entirely yours.

Paul Nettleton, and I think I'm reporting him correctly, has done everything in his power to make the citizens of this province vividly aware of what Gordon Campbell has done to the economic and social structure of British Columbia.

I think you're the one making excuses and playing transference games - not Paul Nettleton.

Furthermore, I’m disappointed that someone who’s taken the time to try and understand the real dimensions of what BASIgate shows about the ‘character’ of the current administration would so easily fall off into the same old dance of the dialectic and imply it’s really all about the NDP.

It isn’t.

AND IT’S TIME HONEST, REAL JOURNALISTS STARTED STANDING UP AND CONDEMNING THE RECORD OF THIS CURRENT BUNCH without the kind of mealy-mouthed apologetics and blame-shifting you’ve just exhibited.

Thanks G West, I was going to say something about quotation marks myself....

But if, Adrian, you want to talk about what Paul Nettleton has to say, why don't you talk about his allegations of conspiracy and collusion and fraud, which are much more trenchant than simply incanting the usual right-wing mantra about how BC was rescued from the NDP. You might also want to talk about Paul Nettleton's attempt to confront Campbell about a certain relationship with a certain senior staffer, a person who happens to also be an insider on everything from BC Rail to Hydrogate to, it is rumoured, that rainy night in Maui.

Why don't you tell the Canadian audience the whole story told by Paul Nettleton; instead of just hiding behind an error by pointing at him, as if that was all he had to say??

You might also include a list of all the Liberals MLAs who've resigned or been driven out for not toeing Campbell's line, particularly Campbell's rail line fandango....

Thanks G West, I was going to say something about quotation marks myself....

But if, Adrian, you want to talk about what Paul Nettleton has to say, why don't you talk about his allegations of conspiracy and collusion and fraud, which are much more trenchant than simply incanting the usual right-wing mantra about how BC was rescued from the NDP. You might also want to talk about Paul Nettleton's attempt to confront Campbell about a certain relationship with a certain senior staffer, a person who happens to also be an insider on everything from BC Rail to Hydrogate to, it is rumoured, that rainy night in Maui.

Why don't you tell the Canadian audience the whole story told by Paul Nettleton; instead of just hiding behind an error by pointing at him, as if that was all he had to say??

You might also include a list of all the Liberals MLAs who've resigned or been driven out for not toeing Campbell's line, particularly Campbell's rail line fandango....

Happy Canadian, you say if we still owned BC Rail we could afford to pay for the Olympics. NONSENSE. ABSURD NONSENSE!!

BC Rail bled cash for many many many years. If you dont know how to read financial statements, find a friend who does, and get her to explain to you what an operating loss is, and what cummulative losses are.

Can somebody please explain to Campbell that the red mitts and business suit combined with the grey, pasty look just doesn't work at all anymore. Even Harper, who defintely isn't photogenic, at least looked okay at the closing ceremonies. And can somebody from VANOC let Sochi know that they can do the security for around 200 million and save the unfortunate public 800 million dollars...just wait until the total bills start to roll in, it'll rival BC Rail for expense to the public.

Can somebody please explain to Campbell that the red mitts and business suit combined with the grey, pasty look just doesn't work at all anymore. Even Harper, who defintely isn't photogenic, at least looked okay at the closing ceremonies. And can somebody from VANOC let Sochi know that they can do the security for around 200 million and save the unfortunate public 800 million dollars...just wait until the total bills start to roll in, it'll rival BC Rail for expense to the public.

_____Mr. McNair, if you would like to remake yourself as the NaPo's resident demonstrable-faleshood lovin' Bobo-Brooks-of-the-North, by all means go right ahead. But we, the people who actually pay attention, don't now, and never ever will, buy that schtick - OK.

Maybe you have some information that would be valuable for Bill Gates. I'll bet someone on his staff would cut you a nice fat cheque if you were to show him what a bad deal BC Rail has been for him.

As of March 6, 2009, Bill Gates increased his investment to 31.85% of CN. There you have it, the richest man in the world thinks CN has it's rails headed in the right direction! Ever since BC Rail was being sold to CN, he began buying up CN stock like crazy, and during that time, CN share prices have increased while returning healthy dividends. Now, if you were to show Bill Gates and the rest of us what a fool he has been, I am sure that you could land yourself a fantastic job working with him or in The Ministry of Finance. You wouldn't have to waste your time printing fairy tales.

http://www.teamstersrail.ca/TCRC_News_March_6_2009.htm

If you have access, please show us those financial statements, Cicada. To start with, I would like to see orginal annotated Income Statements and Balance Sheets. Projected earnings should also be listed. Make sure that the links are to originals and not some doctored-up or vague whitewash that hides money.

Time for a reprint Mary, the PABsters won't spend the energy it would take to find this information on your site. After all, it is at least 4 years old, and contains a world of information as it relates to BC Rail.

What was the real reason for selling BC Rail…and is it a sale? Or is it a lease? According to a “highly confidential” memorandum from CIBC World Markets (downloadable from the Legislature Library):

After (or in conjunction with) completion of the restructuring steps, the Transaction will occur and be structured as a sale by BCRC and BCR Properties Ltd. The Province intends that legislation be passed in the fall to facilitate and support the Transaction. What were some of the “positives” that CIBCWM liked about BC Rail? What made it such an attractive purchase? Again, from the “highly confidential” memorandum:• Attractive revenue sources from a range of forest products and commodities for a potential operator.• Modern, High Quality Assets because of substantial capital expenditures for 5 years prior to sale.• BC Rail provides enhanced operating flexibility and efficiency.• Attractive Operating Ratio with further opportunities for improvement. In reality, it compares favorably to ratios enjoyed by Class 1 railroads, due to management’s success in controlling maintenance and operations expenses.• The year 2003 operating ratio met or exceeded the full year outlook by the end of the first quarter, once again in line with other Class 1 railroads.• 2.05 billion dollars in tax pools, at the end of 2002.• Pension Surplus of 151.7 Million dollars, giving its new owner a contribution holiday for a number of years.

That’s already more than the one billion dollars paid! Yet the Campbell government insists that it was a losing venture that absolutely had to be sold? There is absolutely no doubt that in "someone" taking part in this transaction was lying. Which one do you believe? A premier who's built his political career on lies and innuendo? Or one of Canada's most successful banking institutions?

I have no doubt that someone from the spinners group will come in and deny, deny, deny. Or maybe...just maybe...when they see the truth for themselves, they'll get a conscience and use it. I won't hold my breath though.

Time for a reprint Mary, the PABsters won't spend the energy it would take to find this information ... After all, it is at least 4 years old, and contains a world of information as it relates to BC Rail.

What was the real reason for selling BC Rail…and is it a sale? Or is it a lease? According to a “highly confidential” memorandum from CIBC World Markets (downloadable from the Legislature Library):

After (or in conjunction with) completion of the restructuring steps, the Transaction will occur and be structured as a sale by BCRC and BCR Properties Ltd. The Province intends that legislation be passed in the fall to facilitate and support the Transaction.

What were some of the “positives” that CIBCWM liked about BC Rail? What made it such an attractive purchase?

Again, from the “highly confidential” memorandum:• Attractive revenue sources from a range of forest products and commodities for a potential operator.• Modern, High Quality Assets because of substantial capital expenditures for 5 years prior to sale.• BC Rail provides enhanced operating flexibility and efficiency.• Attractive Operating Ratio with further opportunities for improvement. In reality, it compares favorably to ratios enjoyed by Class 1 railroads, due to management’s success in controlling maintenance and operations expenses.• The year 2003 operating ratio met or exceeded the full year outlook by the end of the first quarter, once again in line with other Class 1 railroads.• 2.05 billion dollars in tax pools, at the end of 2002.• Pension Surplus of 151.7 Million dollars, giving its new owner a contribution holiday for a number of years.

That’s already more than the one billion dollars paid! Yet the Campbell government insists that it was a losing venture that absolutely had to be sold?

There is absolutely no doubt that in "someone" taking part in this transaction was lying. Which one do you believe? A premier who's built his political career on lies and innuendo? Or one of Canada's most successful banking institutions?

I have no doubt that someone from the spinners group will come in and deny, deny, deny.

Or maybe...just maybe...when they see the truth for themselves, they'll get a conscience and use it. I won't hold my breath though.

IF you choose to mismanage a crown to make it look bad and it fits your agenda to dispose of it, when you pound your chest as being strong financial genius managers, why give it away, when it could remain as an asset of the people rather than Bill Gates? Is he from BC? This trend will now continue with ICBC and HyDRo. Hang on to your wallets people. Any whiners bout BCR losing money don't get the point that it was to keep us in the NOrth from being raped by big US corps and still have service of any kind, not just containers or 100 carload bulk. Easy to sit down south in comfort on money generated by royalties and confuse crown corporation profits with public good. Maybe when you run out of beans to count, you'll realize there is more to the picture.

I’d like to repost my notes below because there was a 2 day posting delay and people might automatically bypass my original notes as there haven’t been any responses to them. Am I the only person who finds this allegation curious???

What are your thoughts???

.............................

The last sentence in this paragraph is intriguing.

The raids arose when the RCMP uncovered the involvement of BC Liberal insiders during an ongoing drug sting. In 2003 the RCMP were tapping the phones of Dave Basi in order to break up a marijuana and cocaine smuggling ring between B.C. and Ontario, run by his cousin, Jasmohan Singh Bains. It has since been alleged that the drug money from that operation was laundered through the BC Liberal Party.

Laundered though the BC Liberal Party

Is this new?

The only allegation of laundered monies that I can remember reading about, is this

By Bill Tieleman - April 27, 2007

McCullough said that Aneal Basi, a former government communications aide alleged to have laundered payments by Bornmann to David Basi for confidential government information on the BC Rail deal, was actually issued a T-5 income tax receipt by Bornmann but that was never sought by RCMP.

Can you Mary or your readers comment on this very disturbing and puzzling last sentence?

Cicada,I'd never trust any books developed for the liberal government's uses. I do, however, believe that CIBC did due dillegence in their review of the BC Rail assests and income (and projected income). It wasn't all that long ago that the BC Rail financial documents were available for the period before Campbell was in power. Poof, they've dissappeared - kinda like the emails related to the Legislature Raids.

CKDA, nobody here is trying to lie to you. The commentors here (Like Skookum1 and Leah) wish that Campbell had been truthful and good for the people of BC, but he has proven to be interested in helping the wealthy - even (or especially) at the expense of average working citizens.

Happy Canadian, thank you for seeing what we're "trying" to do! There is no need for Mary's blog and her commentators to lie - we spend our time trying to counteract the lies of our politicians, and those who work for them (PAB)...who I believe have had the wool pulled over their eyes.

I hope that's the case, it bothers me no end to think they too know the truth, but would rather lie and cover it up. I know there are some who will know the truth, yet manufacture the lie that covers it. I'm just as sure there are more that don't know the truth - and haven't taken the time to think for themselves. It's called working for a living I guess...but some jobs just aren't worth it.

Happy Canadian. I agree with some of what you say. I too wished Campbell knew what he was doing but he clearly doesnt. He has RUINED logging in the province. Now there is no equipment to log with, and no fiber for the mills. Raw logs being exported left and right as MacBlo/Weyerhaeser subsiduaries operate from Barbados, or British Virgin Islands. Gimme a break, how many trees are there in the Caribean??

"He has RUINED logging in the province" or virtually killed it off as anything other than raw log export so Asians and 'Murcans could have jobs using and benefitting from OUR resources!

I cannot remind people often enough though that Campbell and crowd managed this during the largest building boom in US history. How they can get elected in places like Terrace, Prince George etc. eludes me - (have they performed lobotomies on everyone?)

Yes, by removing the value-added requirement on export of wood fibre in BC, Campbell has crippled the logging industry in BC forever. Further, that has implications for the need for an improved north south railway to Alaska and Northern BC where the next great pools of minerals, wood fibre and temperate rainforest lay waiting to be fully exploited.

I wish that the Carribean mills are using Canadian fibre; then the Western Hemisphere would have but one would fibre tradgedy to deal with. Sadly, deforestation is occurring on every continent. Labour is cheaper, energy costs for pulp-mill boilers are lower and pollution laws are more lax in the impoverished tropical regions of the world. As the forests are being cut down in Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico and the rest of tropical Central and South America - and oil is close at hand from refineries in the region, the Carribean is a logical place for an international corporation to install wood-fibre mills. After all, the primary goal of an international corporation is to return cash to shareholders; regard for the environment and corporate loyalty to workers who have made money for shareholders in the past are of secondary importance (if important at all).

McCullough said that Aneal Basi, a former government communications aide alleged to have laundered payments by Bornmann to David Basi for confidential government information on the BC Rail deal, was actually issued a T-5 income tax receipt by Bornmann but that was never sought by RCMP.

The answer to that is on your blog? Please, provide specifics?

Only on your blog? Meaning, you mean the National Post doesn't want any reports on drug money laundered through BC Liberal Party accounts?

We all know (those of us who aren't shills) that if the same allegation was made against the NDP, the major media would never have shut up about it...

Another item missing, since you mentioned Campbell's re-election this last spring, is the suspect appointment of a switcheroo judge immediately after that election. Which points to collaboration in making that appointment by the Harper government; the change in judges has very much changed the direction and tone of the proceedings....and that also is something the national audience should be made aware of.

Oh well, the Post's days are numbered anyway....no wonder....

G West - I tried AGAIN to make a post and, though I'm logged in, when I clicked on "click here to comment", it doesn't give me an input window, only the top of the comments columns....maybe they know it's me LOL.....

There is no annotation for the words you claimed were from Paul Nettleton but which were in a separate paragraph and were not surrounded by quotation marks - (not even a wikipedia reference).

Moving your notes from your blog to Mary's blog wouldn't make them any more accurate or reliable. And it certainly doesn't indicate you've done much more than scan secondary reports and comments about the issues and the history of the raid on the legislature.

Further, anyone who has been around here since the beginning of this exercise (Mary's work on this site) will already have seen extended coverage and analysis of every public document, all the financial statements AND the verbatim reports from Paul Nettleton about the behavior and the statements of his then 'leader' Gordon Campbell.

I can't vouch for the fact that every one of those links is still live and viable in the archives here but I can vouch for the fact that the only source of complete and comprehensive coverage of virtually everything that has been available to the public in this matter is Mary's blog.

To suggest that she's trying to make you look bad is disingenuous.

Your column in the National Post was interesting - but highly selective; your blog post was something quite different.

Some might say it was a purposeful attempt at disinformation but I won't go that far; on the other hand, I can understand - having spent some time researching your record as a blogger and 'journalist' - why others might say that.

It's a "given" by now that "professional" journalists in this country are not purveyors of the truth, but gatekeepers of it. We're only really interested in half-information reportage in papers like the Post and Globe is to survey what kind of information is leaking into the rest of the country through the Granite Curtain. We don't expect it to be accurate or complete; it's more like keeping score on a game going on in another ballpark while you watch the real game at home.

I mean, we don't REALLY expect anything that's a full and complete report on the criminal nature of the current government of British Columbia from a major neo-conservative mouthpiece like the Post do we? I think we were just amazed that they published anything at all.....

It's almost like the PAB trolls who come to these blogs pretending to be ordinary citizens, and even make mouthings as if they agree with some of what is being said here, or making cute about being critical of the Socreds, I mean Liberals, while their real intent is anything but....their real intent is to sow discord, red herrings, tangents.

It's come to a time when the mainstream media has no choice but to cover the Basi-Virk case...but they're still going to provide only half-baked coverage and heavily selective reporting, with inbuilt editorializing comments either to lessen the impact....or blame Gordon Campbell on the NDP. In other words, there's not much difference between someone on the CanWest "professional journalism" payroll and a PABite.....except one admits to being on the payroll of the propaganda machine, the other pretends not to exist at all....